A court in Bangladesh has denied bail to Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who is facing sedition charges for allegedly disrespecting the country’s national flag during a rally in October.
According to The Daily Star, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Sammilito Sanatani Jagaron Jote, has been in custody since November 25. The organisation advocates for the rights of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Das, formerly associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested following a rally in Chittagong.
Two other ISKCON monks, Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Prabhu, were also detained on November 29 for delivering medicines to Das in prison. Both have also been charged with sedition.
On Thursday, Judge Md Saiful Islam of the Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Court rejected Das’s bail application. His lawyer, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, has announced plans to appeal the decision in the High Court.
The arrests occurred amidst rising concerns over violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh following the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities. However, Yunus dismissed the claims of minority-targeted violence as exaggerated.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs expressed concern on November 26 over Das’s detention and urged Dhaka to safeguard the rights of minorities, including their freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The Bangladeshi government rebuffed India’s statements, labeling them as “unfounded” and asserting that the developments are an internal matter. The foreign ministry emphasised that such remarks misrepresented facts and undermined the spirit of bilateral friendship between the neighboring nations.